English
Portland
Portland comes from Middle English Portland, and goes back to Old English Portland.
- Old Englishc. 450–1150Portland
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500same form
- Englishearliest quotation 2024same form
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Lineage
- Old Englishc. 450–1150Portland
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500same form
- Englishearliest quotation 2024same form
Earliest quotation: 2024, Brandon Griggs, This coastal culinary hub offers a ‘big-city feel in a small: “Visitors to Maine, arriving with visions of lighthouses and…”
A compound of port ‘a port, a haven’ + land ‘land’
Proto-Indo-European *per-
Proto-Indo-European *pértus ‘crossing’
Proto-Italic *portus ‘harbour’
Latin portus ‘harbor, port’
Old English port ‘a port, a haven’
Proto-Indo-European *lendʰ- ‘land, heath’
Proto-Germanic *landą ‘land, area of ground’
Proto-West Germanic *land ‘land, area of ground’
Old English land ‘land’
Every English word from Old English Portland
Today it means
name The largest city in Oregon, United States and the county seat of Multnomah County; named for the city in Maine.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Old English Portland / Portland